Author Topic: killer B oil pickup  (Read 3165 times)

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Offline WRBSTI

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killer B oil pickup
« on: June 24, 2018, 09:57:56 pm »
I was wondering if anyone is running the Killer B oil pickup and Baffle on a stock block. Is it an easy installation and are you happy with the product? Any input is much appreciated, Thanks!

Offline Ambystom01

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2018, 09:59:19 pm »
A few people are. It works fine.
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Offline WRBSTI

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2018, 10:04:00 pm »
A few people are. It works fine.
I was wondering more about installation

Offline jellynuts

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2018, 10:05:08 pm »
Yes, a lot of us have an aftermarket pickup tube, even on a stock block.  The necessity isn't due to engine mods, but the relatively high failure rate of the OEM tube.  The OEM baffle is sufficient for daily driving. 

Easy depends on your experience, ability and patience.  It's pretty involved.  I had a shop install mine, but the most recent person to do it I know of is Canuckrz. 
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Offline Mason

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2018, 10:06:21 pm »
The pick up tube is great compared to OEM. I don't think I would do the windage tray again unless you are doing any aggressive driving.

I had a shop to install, but I don't believe it is that difficult. I would do it myself next time

Offline WRBSTI

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2018, 10:12:15 pm »
Yes, a lot of us have an aftermarket pickup tube, even on a stock block.  The necessity isn't due to engine mods, but the relatively high failure rate of the OEM tube.  The OEM baffle is sufficient for daily driving. 

Easy depends on your experience, ability and patience.  It's pretty involved.  I had a shop install mine, but the most recent person to do it I know of is Canuckrz.
I have done a complete engine removal and installation of a ej207 so my experience and ability may be there but my patience sure isn't :) This is something i plan on doing in the near future for the ease of mind knowing my engine may not blow up randomly is worth the expense. My only concern is the time it would take and difficulty, Do i have to remove my Exhaust manifold to access my oil pan or can i remove it as is?

Offline jellynuts

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2018, 10:19:23 pm »
IIRC, you can do the install with OEM headers, but if you have ELH, you'll need to remove them for access. 
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Offline diamondedge

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2018, 10:48:34 pm »
As stated Canuckrz installed it himself...getting the oil pan bolts in the back near the transmission was tricky.

He also went with a Moroso one and I felt the quality was as good as the KillerB.

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Offline wrxsti15

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2018, 08:17:23 am »
I did mine last summer.

You need to unbolt engine mounts, and get engine up to be able to access bolts closer to firewall.
Most important things it not to forgot o-ring on pickup itself... and to do proper job with cleaning and later sealing the oil pan to the block.
and also using right torque and tightening across...

And yes I have Killer B oil pickup and Baffle on a stock block.
Baffle is not just for corners, it is also help with hard acceleration and hard braking ...



Offline Mason

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2018, 08:31:53 am »
I will edit my post to 'aggresive driving'. The tray is inexpensive ~100 cad and if you are already cracking the oil pan it is probably worth it to do for some extra insurance.

Offline Unholysavage

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2018, 09:05:45 am »
If you're doing one, might as well do both. These engines don't handle oil starvation very well.
I'm having Vex put in a KB pickup and windage tray next week. I don't have the tools or time to do it myself and they're putting in a new timing belt anyway
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Offline greener

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2018, 09:30:40 pm »
I got Vex to install the KillerB pickup and baffle in Jan 2018 while doing an oil change. They charged 3 hours shop time for the install in case your thinking of getting them to do it. Like Unholysavage I don't have the tools/time/space to do it myself so it was easier for me.

Like others I am on a stock block and after reading the horror stories of the OEM pickups failing I thought it was a worthwhile investment.

Offline wrxsti15

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2018, 08:19:06 am »
If you're doing one, might as well do both. These engines don't handle oil starvation very well.
I'm having Vex put in a KB pickup and windage tray next week. I don't have the tools or time to do it myself and they're putting in a new timing belt anyway

Not time yet, but just from curiosity ... How much they charge for timing belt?

Offline jellynuts

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2018, 09:22:03 am »
Not time yet, but just from curiosity ... How much they charge for timing belt?

My quote dating back from 2013 was $900 + GST without the waterpump.  You should just email them for an updated price though; they're quick to respond.  VEX does not believe in changing waterpumps though. 

APEX in Edmonton was a good shop to go to but I think they've increased their prices significantly.  You should email them for a quote too. 
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Offline Mason

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2018, 09:54:35 am »
AFR in red deer has reasonable shop prices. They said they could do the timing belt in my forester for quite a bit less than the above quote of $900(I didn't inquire exactly what was included other than the gates racing kit w/o water pump).

Also were a quite a bit less for the killer b pick up/tray install.

I would call and get a quote, from what I have read it could save you a few hundred just to drive 1.5 hours

Offline honz

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #15 on: June 26, 2018, 02:41:03 pm »
I've got the pickup and windage baffle, I like them for whatever it's worth. My block is stock, just recently touched up/maintained. My comments echo the above: the pickup is great, the windage tray isn't crucial - that said, I tossed one in while opening up the pan.

I found that Lakeview Auto / itune subies actually stocks and sells them locally.

Installation was reasonably easy but comes with it's annoyances. I already had my exhaust manifold off, so that was not a concern for me. The main trick is to jack up the engine enough to get the back oilpan bolts out. Easy with a lift, some wiggling, and extension sockets. Also it was annoying to scrape off all the old gasket material from the oil pan. I used a 3M pad on my drill to help out. Initially, I bought some gasket remover which worked on the block (painted it on there, not sprayed ... that uckfaying itshay uckfaying burns if it gets on your skin. Wear eye protection if you use it). It ate the paint on the lip of the oil pain where I applied it and I couldn't find any paint I felt comfortable with (Glyptal) in time so I bought a new oil pan and then fixed the other one up after. Also, there's a table of sealants in the 'Recommended Materials' section of the FSM to which there is also a Subaru memo which lists additional equivalences. The proper sealant is a three-bond product, I simply used what I had (Permatex Ultra Black) which seems to work just peachy.

A small side: From my reading, the 2L's oil pan is a little smaller and the KillerB requires the 2.5L's oil pan. (I coincidentally have one for sale :))
entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #16 on: June 26, 2018, 03:21:06 pm »
New pan = new dipstick as well?

I had VEX install mine as well. Timed with an oil change.


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Offline honz

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #17 on: June 26, 2018, 03:26:06 pm »
Good point on the dipstick, I wonder if dipstick from an EJ251 would work.
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Offline coop3422

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #18 on: June 27, 2018, 09:07:43 am »
My quote dating back from 2013 was $900 + GST without the waterpump.  You should just email them for an updated price though; they're quick to respond.  VEX does not believe in changing waterpumps though. 

APEX in Edmonton was a good shop to go to but I think they've increased their prices significantly.  You should email them for a quote too.

Why? My understanding was you should always swap it out just in case while you;re in there. Would be awful to do the timing belt and then have the waterpump go out 1k km later.

Offline Mason

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #19 on: June 27, 2018, 09:15:54 am »
Why? My understanding was you should always swap it out just in case while you;re in there. Would be awful to do the timing belt and then have the waterpump go out 1k km later.

Every shop I have talked to claims that they have never seen a Subaru OEM water pump fail.

Offline VTAKLOL

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #20 on: June 27, 2018, 11:49:18 am »
^this. I know a tech who has been with Subaru for 15 years who says he’s only ever changed 2 due to failure.

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #21 on: June 27, 2018, 11:52:07 am »
Well, if you're going to replace the oil baffle for peace of mind, you might as well replace the water pump while you're in there. 
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Offline Mason

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #22 on: June 27, 2018, 01:07:45 pm »
Well, if you're going to replace the oil baffle for peace of mind, you might as well replace the water pump while you're in there.

What is the quality like on the replacement pump in the gates racing timing kit?

The baffle is claimed to be improved compared to OEM. The water pump (from what I read) is just 'oem quality' replacement.

Probably belongs in a different thread, but I would like to know. I plan on doing my belt some time in the near future

Offline coop3422

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #23 on: June 27, 2018, 03:50:59 pm »
^this. I know a tech who has been with Subaru for 15 years who says he’s only ever changed 2 due to failure.

Had no idea, that's pretty surprising. I mean if it's ~$100 part, I'd probably go OEM anyway. Peace of mind. Although, depends how much it is though.

As for the Gates kits, I recall a few years ago reading the quality went way down and people were having issues with them. Is that no longer the case?

Offline VTAKLOL

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Re: killer B oil pickup
« Reply #24 on: June 28, 2018, 09:08:23 pm »
Had no idea, that's pretty surprising. I mean if it's ~$100 part, I'd probably go OEM anyway. Peace of mind. Although, depends how much it is though.

Yeah it’s definitely counter-intuitive, but they just don’t fail. And the very rare times they do, it’s usually only after a perfectly fine water pump has been replaced with a new one for that “peace of mind” lol go figure.